This ice cream recipe was supposed to be published on National Ice Cream Day, which was on Sunday. I had written a fun and cheerful post about how much I love cashew-based ice cream and scheduled it to go live on the blog early in the morning. But then, on Friday night the coup happened in Turkey. I spent the whole weekend reading and watching the devastating news. Needless to say, I am very worried about what is to come for my country and its people. Thankfully, my family and friends are fine, but we are all scared and saddened by what happened and is continuing to happen. No one knows what is next for Turkey’s future, but it is obvious that it will get worse before it gets better. I do not know why is it so hard to live in harmony and respect each others’ differences. All I can do at this moment is to hope and pray for a more tolerant, compassionate, and peaceful future for the world and humanity. Thanks so much to all of you, who reached out to check on me and my family’s wellbeing. Quite honestly, while I was witnessing the most devastating thing that happened to Turkey in my adult lifetime, I couldn’t get myself to publish a cheerful post about ice cream. But as they say, Show must go on. We have to find courage to continue with our lives and do our best to find a way to produce and be useful in some shape or form. I believe that food has healing powers and it has a magical way of bringing people together. I hope that I can find courage in life and continue to contribute to this cause in my humble ways.
About this Cashew Coconut Ice Cream:
I have been using cashews in my cooking for over a year now. Though it has been a popular ingredient for centuries in South Asian and South American cooking, as veganism became popular in the western world, cashews started taking their place in the pantries of modern world cooks as well. Originally from Brazil, they are rich in zinc, magnesium, and selenium. But what I love about them the most is the fact that they add a rich and creamy quality to sauces (just like in this Green Cashew Sauce), desserts (especially fillings and ice creams), and dressings. This ice cream recipe is made with a combination of soaked cashews and coconut milk. It is flavored with vanilla extract and sweetened with honey. The recipe below assumes that you use a regular blender to blend cashews and coconut milk. You can use a food processor as well. However, just keep in mind that it may take a little longer for the cashews to be completely smooth. If you have a powerful blender (like Vitamix), you can skip the straining part. Once you have the coconut-cashew mixture ready, bring it to a boil in a saucepan and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After that stir in the vanilla extract and honey. Once it is completely chilled, all you have to do is to churn it in your ice cream maker. You can serve it immediately, or for a thicker and creamier consistency, let it freeze for 15 minutes in the freezer before serving. I topped mine off with some fresh strawberries and crumbled pistachios, but you can use whatever fruit and nuts you have or eat it just by itself. Either way, this homemade coconut milk and cashew ice cream is a delicious and healthier alternative to sugar and heavy cream loaded ice creams that are sold in supermarkets. This recipe is adapted (with minor changes) from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well cookbook.
Other ice cream and dessert recipes you might like:
Fresh Peach and Blueberry Tart with Walnut CrustCoconut Milk and Avocado Ice Cream
